I've read that the float rod isn't that nice, but the feeder is very good.
So, being in the market for a chub rod, I waggled the 11ft Vertex medium feeder today and it was light (lighter than the Daiwa Ninja), nicely balanced, and the action felt kind of 'alive'... flexible right through the handle (I waggled it hard!)
At full price I just couldn't get past the colour scheme and graphics, but if I see one on eBay I'll buy it to complement the 1.25lb Twin Tip Duo that I walked away with. If I were to guess the test curve of the Vertex, I'd say about 1lb.
The advantage of the Vertex and the Duo over the Acolyte Plus (that I just sold) is that you can get glass tips, which is what I wanted for chub. And if you break a section on an Acolyte it'll cost twice as much as a replacement for the Vertex or Duo.
As for comparisons with the Series 7 you'll always get the pipe smokers who think everything was better back in the day... in general terms, I don't believe any of that stuff when I read it.
.